


The Galaxy Ahead of Us

by EpicNerd



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Allura & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Baby Fic, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Eventual Keith/Lance (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk & Lance (Voltron) Friendship, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Kid Fic, Krolia (Voltron) is a Good Parent, Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt Friendship, Lance & Shiro (Voltron) Friendship, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Parental Krolia (Voltron), Parents Keith/Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith/Lance (Voltron), Supportive Coran (Voltron), Supportive Krolia (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28958916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpicNerd/pseuds/EpicNerd
Summary: Lance, while scavenging a recently abandoned Galra military base, finds something - or someone.
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

Lance landed the Blue Lion in the docking bay of the Galra military base that Voltron had defeated the day before. It had been a rather successful mission, leaving anything left behind in the escape to fall into Voltron’s possession. That was exactly what Lance was doing there. Normally, Hunk and Pidge would go on the scavenge-and-recover missions, but they were busy dealing with damage that had struck the Yellow Lion the previous day. Shiro and Keith were sparring together in the training day, and Allura and Coran had been discussing tactic mumbo jumbo when he had been called into the navigation room to be given his solo mission.

Admittedly, Lance knew that it would be rather boring and uneventful, but he kept his bayard at the ready regardless, just in case a stowaway had dodged their initial sweep. Most likely, he would recover some food, less weapons, and even less information before returning to the castle with what findings he could scratch up; shouldn’t take more than an hour or two. Playing the only music that he had brought with him from Earth, he entered the base, running a flashlight along the floor and walls.

“Nothing at all in the main entrance,” he spoke into the microphone in his helmet, on open communications with Hunk and Pidge since being completely alone would’ve creeped him out.

“Yeah, I had noticed that yesterday. Keep sharp, Lance,” Pidge replied.

Lance moved on to the next room, his attention immediately falling on a row of lockers up against the far wall. Raising his blaster up and holding it with both hands, he slowly approached, braced for some hidden assailant to jump out at him. Slowly, he reached out towards the latch, springing it before jerking his arm back. The locker swung up, revealing an abandoned wardrobe.

“Anyone in need of a new uniform?” Lance joked, earning a distracted laugh that he knew meant that they were paying more attention to what they were doing.

The rest of the room only revealed more clothes in varying conditions. He took note of how tattered different types of uniforms were before he moved on to the adjacent room. This one appeared to be a mess hall of sorts, and Lance took as much food as he deemed salvageable, loading it all in Blue for continuing on. The next was the remnants of what Lance perceived to have been a strategy room, but it had been stripped bare in the Galran escape. The following rooms on that floor held nothing but empty bookcases and strewn-about furniture. Even what must’ve been the training bay had been mostly swiped clean, only letting him recover scattered bits of ammunition to pocket before continuing on.

It wasn’t until he went into the farthest room from the entrance, which appeared to be the sleeping quarters for the base. That was when he heard the crying. It wasn’t a pained crying, nor was it at a pitch he would have expected from a scared or wounded Galra.

“I can hear someone. Pidge, can you do a scan of the back room?” he whispered.

“There’s a small heat signature in the room you’re in, but it’s too small to be a soldier. It’s probably just some kind of bug or other space creature Coran failed to mention,” Pidge replied after typing away at her keyboard for a moment.

Lance was only somewhat reassured by this, and so he still held his weapon at the ready as he moved into the room. Uniform rows of bunk beds filled the space, leaving little room to freely move about. He took note of this, preparing for a possible ambush. As he got closer to what appeared to be a closet, the crying only got louder, more strained. Taking a deep breath, Lance flung open the door, his finger on the trigger. But, there was nothing. Perplexed on why he could still hear crying, he glanced around before looking down. The blood drained from his face as his eyes locked on a shifting bundle of blankets. His breathing hitched as his mind raced faster than travelling through a wormhole.

“Lance? You there, buddy?” Hunk’s voice rang through the intercom.

“Run the scan again.”

“Uh, okay? It’s showing that you’re right on top of the heat signature. Can you see what’s causing it?”

“Yeah,” Lance whispered before bending down, placing his bayard on the floor before scooping the bundle of blankets into his arms.

The crying quieted to a whimper, and Lance’s hands shook as he pulled back the cloth. Gazing up at him through watery, pale yellow eyes was a fuzzy, blue-furred Galra infant with small tufts of purple hair, so small that the blankets probably weighed more than it did. If he hadn’t had the knowledge of the scan, he might’ve thought that it was bait to bring his guard down in order to easily attack, but he knew that no one else was at the base.

“Uh, guys? We’ve got a problem.”

“What is it, Lance?” Hunk asked.

“It’s, um...just gather everyone in Blue’s hanger for me. I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

Shifting the baby to just one arm, Lance sifted through the cluttered closet, searching for something, anything, that would help him not feel so clueless about what to do. Among some of the scattered papers, Lance found what somewhat resembled a birth certificate. He couldn’t even hope to be able to read what all it said, but he recognized two of the names.

After the Galra fleet fled the base, Pidge had been able to hack into the com link of the escape shuttles. One of them had been listing off everyone accountable, and the receiving Galra fleet had asked for confirmation about those unaccounted for. The two names on the birth certificate were within the list of the unaccounted, the lost. Lance felt himself almost lose his balance as the realization hit him that, not only was the Galra child orphaned with no parent coming back for it, but also that it was orphaned to begin with because of Voltron’s raid on the base.

Lance wanted to run. He wanted to put the infant back in the closet, run back to Blue, and never think about it again. But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. What should he do instead? He found some supplies that he assumed had been for the baby, although he couldn’t really tell what everything was, nor would he be able to list off what a Galra baby would need in the first place. Regardless, he carried as much of it as he could back to the Blue Lion while never letting go of the infant. Awkwardly balancing the child in his lap, Lance slowly navigated Blue up to the castle, where everyone was waiting for him.

He hesitated for a moment after landing, his mind racing and yet going unbearably slow at the same time. He looked down at the infant, expecting it to be asleep with how quiet it had been on the ride up, but, instead, it was awake, gazing up at him with curious eyes. For a moment, he panicked and thought that it was dead, but then one of its arms pulled out of the blankets and reached up at him. Remembering when he had first held his nieces and nephews, Lance held out his pinky finger, which the baby took in its hand.

Somehow reassured, Lance stood up, holding the child close to his chest as he walked out of the Blue. The team rushed him with varying questions flying at him, ranging from what he found to if he was okay. One by one, they noticed what Lance was holding, and they quieted down until the hanger was painfully silent.

“Lance, what is that  _ thing _ doing aboard my ship?” Allura spat out, not even trying to hide her disgust.

“I found it on the base, hidden in a closet. I don’t think anyone’s coming back for it…”

“How can you be so sure?” Shiro asked.

“Take a look at this. I think it’s the birth certificate. Recognize any of the names?”

Lance held out the document, which Pidge took. She, along with Hunk and Coran looked it over several times, squinting as they tried to understand the language. Pidge is the one who makes the connection, and the group, sans Keith and Allura, take on solemn expressions.

“So, what now?” Hunk asked, trepidatiously noticing how Lance was gazing at the infant.

“Let’s just drop it off with the Blade of Marmora. They’ll know how to handle it. Keith, can you contact them for us?” Allura requested.

She turned to Keith, expecting the young man to be agreeing with her, but he was just watching Lance with furrowed eyebrows, his arms crossed below his scowl.

“What? No!” Lance exclaimed before tensing up upon realizing he startled the baby.

“Why wouldn’t we, Lance? Seriously, did you expect to keep it in the castle or something?” Allura snapped, her temper rising as no one else was agreeing with her and standing for a voice of reason.

Hunk approached Lance, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder as he ducked his head to try and catch the other boy’s gaze.

“I know you feel bad about what happened - I do, too - but we have no idea how to give this kid what it needs. And, even if we did, we’re at war, Lance. The castle, Voltron: it’s all too dangerous to have some kid running around in.”

Lance looked up to see Shiro, Pidge, and Coran nod in agreement, sympathy on their faces. He sighs before nodding his head.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. I don’t really know what I was thinking. I’ll just keep it quiet and out of the way until Kolivan can come get it.”

Lance began walking away, only pausing when he reached the entrance to the hanger.

“Sorry for bringing it into the castle, Allura. I know this must be painful for you,” he murmured before exiting the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

Lance walked through the halls of the castle gloomily, feeling more like a ghost than a person as he struggled to form a single thought that made any sort of coherent sense. Finding his room, he walked inside and sat on his bed without turning the lights on. Shifting backwards to brace his back against the wall, he solemnly looked down at the infant, who had managed to fall asleep. He wanted to say something, maybe an apology, but he knew that the baby wouldn’t understand him even if he could manage to make a sound.

For several minutes, he sat there in silence, just watching the Galra child sleep and occasionally reaching to brush his finger against the baby’s soft cheek. When there was a knock at the door, he almost didn’t register it.

“Come in,” he mumbled, not wanting to be loud enough to shatter the quiet.

The door opened to reveal Keith standing on the other side, much to Lance’s surprise.

“Keith?”

“Is it asleep?”

“Yeah. What’re you doing here?”

Keith entered the room, sitting down on the edge of the bed and turning sideways to look at Lance.

“You doing okay? You looked like a gust of wind would’ve blown you away back in the hanger.”

“Sorry. I know I’m being weird about it. It’s just,” Lance says, pausing to take a deep breath, “when I saw this baby, all alone in a dark closet, crying out for parents that will never come because of us...I don’t know. It felt like my heart broke a little. I don’t know if it’s guilt or that it reminds me of my family back on Earth or whatever, but the idea of letting this baby out of my sight after what I did to it just feels  _ wrong _ , you know?”

Keith listened, shifting his gaze between Lance and the bundle in his arms. After a moment of thought, he took the birth certificate out of his pocket, which he had grabbed from Pidge before going after Lance. He was able to read it better than the others due to his training as a Blade member.

“His name is Nika,” he said, turning it around to show Lance as he pointed at the name of the baby.

“Nika…” Lance repeated, looking down at the baby boy and realizing that the name, despite him not knowing if it had any significance or meaning, felt perfect.

“When helping the others unload the cargo from your lion, I noticed the supplies that didn’t really match the rest. Krolia could probably better identify everything than I could, but I’m guessing it was probably baby stuff that you found at the base.”

“Yeah. I really don’t know what I was thinking when I grabbed all that stuff. Maybe I wasn’t thinking at all.”

“Y’know, I was raised human by my dad, but there were some aspects of my childhood that my mom says is because of my Galra heritage, like how I would often cover myself in a blanket when overwhelmed since warm darkness was comforting.”

Lance wasn’t really sure why Keith was saying all of this, but he listened anyway.

“And textures of different food was always a big thing for me, much to the annoyance of my dad, so I usually ended up eating what was textureless and easy to swallow. And my teething and mobility phases both came earlier than they would’ve if I was completely human.”

“Keith, what’re you on about?”

“I’m just saying that...it’s not like you’d have  _ no _ idea on how to take care of him.”

Lance finally looked up at Keith, confusion and anticipation running through him faster than the Red Lion could ever go.

“Allura - you saw how much she hated having Nika in the castle - she’d never have it.”

“Shiro and Coran could try to help you convince her if this is really what you want; they saw how hung up you were about it and how carefully you held and looked at the kid. But, Lance,” Keith said, pausing to make sure he had the other boy’s full attention, “this isn’t like adopting a random cow at the space mall. Hunk was right about a kid being involved in Voltron being really dangerous, not to mention that this will be a lot different than looking after nieces and nephews, especially considering that Nika isn’t human.”

Lance felt his heart hammering in his chest, and he knew that he was standing at a crossroads. Either path had both positive and negative consequences, and neither path would let him turn back if he felt he had made a mistake. And yet, he knew which path was the right one without even thinking about it, as if it were instinct or even destiny that he make his choice.

“I guess I better start working on my plea to Allura then, huh?”

Keith chuckled before folding the birth certificate and placing it on the bed next to Lance.

“I’ll leave you to it, then. See you later, Lance,” he said before standing up and leaving the room.

Once the door closed, Keith sighed before leaning against the wall, tilting his head down to look at his feet as he tried to calm his own nerves and beating heart.

“I hope I didn’t just help him make the wrong decision. Don’t screw this up, Lance,” he murmured to himself before walking away to resume his training session with Shiro.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance tentatively made his way up to the navigation room of the castle, steeling himself for the most important debate of his life. He wasn’t being naive; he knew that convincing Allura to allow him to raise a Galra baby aboard the Castle of Lions would be messy at best. Still, he would not be dissuaded or deterred by the odds of his argument convincing her or not.

He had thought about bringing Nika along to drive the point that they were not talking about a hypothetical or an inanimate object, but he ultimately decided against it by imagining how Allura might react to the baby’s presence. So, his hands fidgeted within his pockets as he entered the room. Allura was pouring over some papers on a table she stood in front of, and she turned around to face him. Their eyes locked, and Lance had to fight a sudden wave of nerves and regret.

“Princess-“

“I know why you’re here, Lance.”

“You do? Did Keith say something?”

“No, but I can see it in your eyes.”

Allura stepped away from the table, striding up to Lance before stopping a few feet away from him. She wanted to step closer, place her hands on his shoulders and explain things to him, but she kept her distance.

“You’re very kind-hearted, Lance. I’m not blind to that. But there’s a difference, a very distinct one, between escorting innocent Galra to safety and being the safety to escape to. You don’t know how to care for Galra, and the front lines of an intergalactic war that has been raging on for millennia is certainly no environment for a child to be raised in. I sincerely hope that you can understand that.”

“I do! I really do understand every reason why I shouldn’t watch over Nika-“

“Nika?”

“That’s the baby’s name; Keith was able to read the birth certificate. Th-that’s not what this is about. I shouldn’t get sidetracked. My point is, I understand the reasons why we shouldn’t. I’m not even trying to be inconsiderate of your personal feelings about Galra.”

With Allura’s sharp intake of air and widened eyes, Lance realized he said something wrong.

“My  _ personal feelings _ ? Is that all it is to you? My people were slaughtered, my home world was destroyed, my own father is dead! And I’m just supposed to accept the  _ monsters  _ responsible for it all with welcome arms? No, Lance!”

“That’s not Nika’s fault!”

“But it’s the product of it. There is  _ nothing _ that says that Galra won’t be the exact same like all the others. There is  _ nothing _ that says that the Galra have changed even a little bit, if not for the worse, in a way that we should show them any kindness or mercy,” Allura spat.

“You’re talking about a baby, Allura! You’re talking about him as if he’s a war criminal personally charged with genocide!”

“The genocide of my people! How could you possibly understand how insulting and revolting it is that you could even consider asking this of me!”

“How come you don’t hate Keith as much? Why isn’t the same fire in your eyes whenever you see members of the Blade of Marmora as there is now? Please, explain to me how they’re different!” Lance asks, throwing his arms into the air.

Coran and Shiro rushed into the room, alarmed by the screaming match they could hear from several halls over, but they stopped short when seeing Allura and Lance yelling in each other’s faces. Quickly, they turned around a left before they could be dragged into the argument.

“Are you even listening to yourself? I’m not an idiot, Lance! I can see how Keith, a member of Voltron, and the Blade, members that are spies that help us, are different from the soldiers that fire at us and enslave countless planets and strike fear across all reaches of the galaxy!”

“Yes, soldiers of Zarkon’s army have done that! I understand that! What I don’t understand is how  _ you _ can’t see that referring to every single Galra as being violent and evil, bent on destruction, is wrong! If you truly believe that they are completely incapable of peace and justice, then what are we even fighting for? If your logic stands, then will this war only end when every single Galra is obliterated! Is that what makes sense to you? Does it make sense that there will be no peace as long as the Galra are alive?”

“N-no-“

“Then where do we draw the line?  _ When _ do we draw the line? When do we switch from just fighting to trying to unify, to heal, to move past the horrors of the last 10,000 years?” Lance asks rhetorically.

“There’s a difference between trying to commit to peace with Galra and raising them as family! Caring for and nurturing is a far cry from coexisting, and they have given us no reason to be the ones to reach for that step.”

“Have we? Have we given them a reason to believe that peace is an option? No, we haven’t! We haven’t done a single thing, but we can start now. Nika can be that first step towards a peaceful end to the war, Allura.”

Allura closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as she tried to relax her tensed body. She didn’t want to scream at Lance, she really didn’t. She didn’t want to fight or be angry or anything that wasn’t supportive and commending. But it was frustrating that he didn’t seem to be taking the war seriously and like it had a simple solution.

“Lance...it’s just not that simple.”

“I know, Princess. I-I’m sorry for yelling.”

“I am, too.”

Lance stepped closer, looking at Allura with softer eyes. After just a single moment, he was able to calm down and come back to the present reality where he was talking to someone he admired and honestly had more feelings for than he would care to admit. Steadying his racing heart, Lance kept his gaze on her, making sure his voice we calm and level when he spoke again.

“I truly, honestly believe that it would be good for me to take care of Nika. Unless you are without a shadow of doubt that I shouldn’t, then, please, I implore you to just consider the possibility. Even if for only a short trial period, I beg of you to give me a chance. And, if at the end of the day, your decision still stands, then I will respect and abide by it.”

Lance turned away from Allura and walked towards the door, a sinking feeling in his chest riddled with fear that he failed and failed Nika. He paused and put his hand on the doorway, but final words died on his lips, and he continued on his way.

The hallways seemed cold and bare, hauntingly empty. They all seemed so horribly similar that, even after several minutes of walking, Lance felt like he hadn’t moved at all. It wasn’t until he reached the doors of his quarters that time seemed to catch up to him, threatening to crash and knock him over. His hand limply reached up to open the door, and the sound of crying met him from the other side.

Lance snapped out of his funk as he rushed over to Nika, who had been sleeping on his bed when he left. Now, the baby thrashed around within his swaddling blanket, screaming.

“Hey, there, little guy. What’s the problem? Why’re you fussy?” Lance cooed as he scooped the baby into his arms.

As he brought Nika closer, a rancid smell assaulted Lance’s nose, and he stifled a gag.

“Woof! Stinky little dude, aren’t you? Let’s go back to Blue and see if there’s something that can help with that.”

Bouncing the baby and shushing it as much as he could, Lance carried Nika through the castle back to Blue’s hangar. Climbing inside the lion, Lance shifted the baby into one arm so that he could sift through what supplies he had scavenged. Finding a bag of what looked somewhat like diapers, Lance smiled in victory.

Placing Nika on the pilot seat, he takes of the blanket and infant’s clothes, and he sees that the baby is wearing a soiled version of what he had found. Making a mental note that they were, in fact, diapers, Lance changed the baby before putting fresh clothes on him. Nika fussed for a few moments more but quieted down to murmuring afterwards.

Lance sighed in relief, gazing down at Nika with a sense of pride at being able to calm the baby down and help him. Returning his attention to the supplies, Lance truly looked through it all, trying to take inventory of what he could somewhat-confidently identify. What he was most worried about was food, as he didn’t know how sensitive a Galra stomach is or what they actually need for nutrition. That would just have to be something to ask Krolia-

“-If I was able to convince Allura,” Lance finishes aloud, mumbling to himself.

There were only, what he could guess to be, a few weeks’ supply of diapers, very few differing items of clothing, and there were no toys or other forms of stimuli for Nika. Lance tried not to imagine how little time Nika’s parents had time to prepare for and be with him before Voltron came around; the thought made him feel ill.

Grabbing what he could while still safely holding Nika, Lance made the journey to his room yet again. When he rounded the corner, he saw Shiro standing in front of the door, deep in thought with furrowed eyebrows.

“Oh, Lance! I wasn’t sure if you were back already from your talk with Allura.”

“Oh...you heard that?” Lance asked with a wince.

“Yeah. I just finished talking with Keith about things. How’s Nika?”

“He’s alright,” Lance said, stepping past Shiro to open the door and entering the room to place the supplies down on the floor in a corner, “I just changed him, so he’s going to be hungry soon. I’m gonna have to figure out quickly what to feed him. Do you think Hunk would know?”

“Hm, maybe. Or perhaps Coran would know.”

Shiro sat down on the bed, watching Lance pace around the room and rock Nika to sleep. It certainly wasn’t a sight he thought he’d ever witness: Lance beaming over a blue, fuzzy, Galra infant. To be fair, he hadn’t given much thought to seeing Lance do anything in particular. It was somewhat bizarre to think about how becoming Voltron brought him closer to a cadet he had disregarded in the past. Now, he felt proud of Lance, of the young, brave man he had become in the face of fear and violence.

Shiro smiled, and he stood up. Approaching Lance, he peered down at Nika, whose yellow eyes were fluttering open and closed. The Galran features did, admittedly, make him feel rather anxious, as it reminded him of his time as a prisoner after the failed space mission that felt so far in the past. But, he looked past it to see a sleeping baby in the arms of his friend that looked so happy to just be holding Nika, and Shiro couldn’t help but be happy, as well.

With his real hand, Shiro softly pat Nika’s purple hair, being careful to not stir him awake. Bracing his other hand on Lance’s shoulder, Shiro hoped that his expression held as much hope and trust as he felt, even though Lance wasn’t looking at him.

He could give an inspirational speech expected from a leader, he could further encourage Lance to pursue his decision, or he could further dissuade him from it. But all conversations got stuck in his throat, so they only sat in silence until Shiro was called away to attend to something else within the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith recoiled and clutched his arm as he groaned in pain. The training robot did not give him time to collect himself before attacking again. Frustrated, Keith lashed out, swinging his sword several times in rapid succession, disarming the robot. With one final move, he sinks his bayard into the thing’s chest, ending the level.

Keith collapsed onto the floor along with the robot, panting and cupping his hand over where the robot had sliced him. It could’ve been a lot worse than the simple grazing it was, but it still stung. That, combined with his muscles screaming at him for refusing to rest, kept him down on the floor, relishing the cold surface.

“Do you always take a nap on my training deck, Paladin?” Allura asked, peering over Keith before offering her hand to him.

Rolling his eyes he accepts her offer to pull him up, and he gets off the floor, much to the protest of his body.

“If you’re looking for Shiro, I think he’s in Green’s hanger with Pidge,” Keith said, stepping away to grab something to drink.

“Actually, it was you I was looking for.”

That caught the red Paladin off guard, but he stifled it by scratching the back of his head.

“What is it?”

“You’re part-Galra, and you’ve come to know what the species is like even more since you’ve joined the Blade. So, I’m coming to you to ask you to be as impartial as possible when answering my question.”

“Okay?”

“Do you think that Lance could handle raising Nika and raising him well?”

Keith opens his mouth to respond immediately, but Allura holds up her hand.

“Impartial as possible. I’m asking you to truly consider it,” she added.

He closes his mouth and eyes, thinking it over. None of them have been exposed to a Galra child before now, so there isn’t prior experience to reference. But...he has seen Lance be so kind and gentle to those that Voltron has protected and freed. And he knows that the other boy is already crazy about Nika, holding him so close and whispering promises of the world to the infant. It’s not like Lance would be completely alone in raising the baby, either. Keith would help him! ...If Lance let him, of course.

“I think Nika would absolutely find a loving home in Lance.”

Allura nods in a way that leaves Keith unsure of whether it was to him or herself. Without another word, she waved goodbye and left the training deck, and Keith is alone once again.

Meanwhile, Lance and Hunk were in the kitchen, experimenting with a recipe that Lance had managed to snag at the Space Mall. With some soft music playing in the background, they gravitate around the kitchen, working on different aspects to be combined in a pot warming up on the stove.

“These measurement units are so weird. How do you know what everything means?” Lance asked as he had to start over after getting a ratio wrong.

“It takes a little while, just like you would have to get used to working in a kitchen back home. But, once you find your rhythm, it makes as much sense as your own inner thoughts.”

“What do you think, Nika?”

Nika was sleeping in a cocoon of pillows on the counter while swaddled. Lance walked over to the baby, smiling. However, the smile dropped quickly when the baby continued sleeping.

“Oh, quiznack.”

“What? He’s just sleeping. Babies sleep,” Hunk says, stepping over to check on Nika, as well.

“I can’t tell if he’s breathing.”

The two stared at Nika’s chest intensely, fear rising in Lance for every single millisecond. Paranoid, he gently pokes Nika’s cheek. When the infant takes a deep breath, stirring before falling back asleep, Lance and Hunk both sigh in relief.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Lance whisper-exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart.

“See? Everything’s completely fine. Now, let’s get back to work so that he’s not kept hungry when he wakes up.”

Lance and Hunk return to the recipe. With their backs turned, they didn’t notice when Pidge, Keith, and Krolia entered the room. Pidge broke off to observe what Lance was doing while Keith showed Nika off to his mom.

“Why’re you dicing it so small? Why not just put the stuff in a blender?” Pidge asked, startling Lance.

The Latino boy whipped around to glare at Pidge, but he’s caught off guard at the sight of Keith gently holding Nika. A slight blush rises to his cheeks, but he quickly shakes it away.

“Krolia, thank you for coming!” Lance says instead.

“Of course. When Keith told me that you had a Galra baby, I first thought that the infant was yours and his based on the way he talked about you and Nika-“

“Mom!”

“-But then he mentioned the military base. I can’t imagine how long this little guy was all alone,” Krolia finished, waving her finger for Nika to take.

“Oh! Um, yeah,” Lance trailed off, not sure how to interpret what she said, “So, uh, what do you think of this recipe we found?”

Krolia took the piece of paper, reviewing the ingredients and preparation instructions.

“This may not be a good meal to have right away after going without being fed, especially since we don’t know if anyone at the base had cared for him even before the invasion. You actually don’t have any ingredients on here that Galra can’t ingest without getting ill, so good job on that front.”

Krolia walked over to the fridge, opening it and grabbing a bottle of goo before setting it on the counter. Next, she grabbed a bowl and a spoon. Sitting down with Nika, she poured the goo into the bowl and scooped some with the spoon.

“Now, watch what I do. You’ll have to feed him this way until you find some bottles to use.”

Lance walked away from the counter and sat down in a chair in front of Krolia, watching her every move as if he’d be quizzed on it afterward. Krolia stuck her pinkie finger in Nika’s mouth before slipping the spoon under it. Nika began sucking on her finger as if it were a pacifier, drinking the goo in the process. Lance watched in amazement and wonder.

“Do you want to try? He’s taking the goo really well.”

Lance didn’t say anything; he simply nodded emphatically before holding his arms out for Krolia to place Nika in. Cradling the baby to his chest, he does as Krolia showed him. He feels his heart melt in his chest when Nika begins eating.

“Yep. Just like that,” Krolia praised.

“Hunk! Hunk, look!” Lance exclaimed, trying his best to not bounce in his seat.

“I see, Lance,” Hunk responded, beaming at his friend.

“So, Krolia, how long will Nika need to be on the goo?” Pidge asked, adjusting her glasses after having looked down.

“Not too long. He’ll need proper protein and other nutrients soon if he’s to grow properly. I’d say through today and tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Mom. What else should we know?”

“I picked up some books about raising galra children at a space station on my way here. I got some weird looks, so you better be grateful. I would tell you how I was raised, but I assume that you don’t want Nika to have a military-style upbringing.”

“So that’s where Keith gets his bluntness,” Pidge notes.

“Hey!”

“Thank you for the books, really. I want to give Nika the best I can give. Heh, I’d give him the whole galaxy...”

Lance trailed off before finishing his thought, entranced as he refilled the spoon for Nika to feed on again. The others in the room seemed so far off in the distance in that moment, and his surroundings dimmed. The only thing he could focus on was Nika. And it was wonderful.

Allura and Coran watched from the open doorway, both consumed in their thoughts. The princess is the one to break the silence first by sighing and dropping her crossed arms.

“Coran, I feel lost, like all perspectives are screaming at me to side with them until none of the sides can be properly heard and everything bleeds together to form incoherent thoughts. What would Father do?”

At the mention of Alfor, Coran shrinks in on himself slightly, finding himself still grieving the passing of his best friend. But he couldn’t dwell on that now. Alfor’s daughter needed him to be fully there for her, and he refused to not comply.

“I think...he’d struggle to listen to his head and not his heart when making such a difficult decision. That would lead him to think from his political role and perspective. He’d see Nika as a bridge to reconnect Alteanns to Galra, as they were so long ago.”

“But...what if Lance gives more than he actually has, losing who he is in trying to provide for Nika? I couldn’t bear it if I helped that come true.”

“You care a lot for that boy, don’t you?”

“Of course. The Paladins must be ready for whatever Zarkon and his forces. That’s why I have to make the absolute best decisions for them.”

Coran bit back a remark about how that wasn’t what he meant in regards to Lance when he sees how pained, how tired Allura looks when gazing at the others.

“Your father would also want you to know that...it’s okay if you make mistakes, if you make the wrong choice. What makes a good leader isn’t someone perfect; it takes someone who knows how to come back from errors, someone who can learn and make a situation better. It takes a big heart and a wise mind to be able to do that, and, Allura, you can do that.

“Alfor knew it even before this mess of a war just as much as I know it now when looking at you as the leader of Voltron and the resistance against Zarkon. You are an amazing Alteann, an amazing friend, and an amazing leader, Princess. And I’ll be quiznacked if you go a single day without believing it!”

Allura covered her mouth to stifle a laugh before smiling at the man.

“Thank you, Coran. I think I really needed to hear that.”

The two embrace before Allura leaves. Coran lingers in the doorway before putting a smile back on and entering the kitchen.


End file.
